Nigel Lythgoe Sounds Off on American Idol Firing: "Sad," But "It's Not a Personal Thing"

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed his exit from Fox's reality series on Twitter on Saturday, admitting that he was "fired." Lythgoe, who had been with the show since its debut in 2002, is also an executive producer on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, which he will continue to work on.

"Just had 10 days in the Bahamas, rain everyday. I get back to the States and get fired. Sad!" Lythgoe tweeted before going on to say that he's looking forward to SYTYCD's next episode. "Monday we choose our top 20. I'll smile again."

Executive producer Ken Warwick is reportedly also not returning for season 13.

Lythgoe's departure is just the latest change for the struggling series: Mike Darnell, Fox's longtime president in charge of alternative programming, is leaving after 18 years with the network, and judges Randy Jackson, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey have all officially announced that they will not be returning, with Idol alum Jennifer Hudson tapped to fill one of their seats.

"The passion and dedication that Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick brought to AMERICAN IDOL guided the show to become a true cultural phenomenon," Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment told E! News in a statement. "While we are saddened they will no longer be executive producers on the show, we are grateful for their tremendous contributions and look forward to continuing to work with them on additional projects."